Ivy's Rebellion (A THG fic)
by vampvillainette
Summary: Ivy is the president of District 13 and this is the story of the start of the Rebellion, told by her.


I sit on the rock overlooking the rubble that is all that's left of my district. On the surface at least. Underground, District 13 survives. We don't thrive, not since the Pox outbreak a few years ago, but we survive. I blame Coin for the outbreak. Actually I blame Coin for a lot of things. D13 was doing just fine until she took over. Under my parents, 13 had thrived and the rebellion was underway. But then they died. And everything changed…

I was born in District 13. Me and my little sister, Willow. My parents ruled 13 and were very loved by our people, but they were mine and Willow's world. One day, when I was 11 years old, Mom and Dad were down in the tunnels overseeing the expansion and there was a cave in. My parents were part of seventeen people that were killed. Suddenly, I'm the sole supporter of my 7 year old sister. The grief was unbearable but I had to be strong for Willow. I quickly learn to shut off my emotions around her, but after she falls asleep, I cry myself to sleep. After a few months, I stop crying. After a few more months, I'm able to smile at Willow, but only at Willow. By the end of the year, I'm okay and over it. On the outside.

Around this time, I become aware of 13 and how things have changed. I was supposed to inherit 13 when my parents passed but being so young and grief-stricken, Coin took over until I was old enough. In the mere year that I've been with Willow, the people of 13 look more frail and unhappy. I begin to watch the happenings under Coin. And I watch as they get worse.

The pox hits and many people die. 13 barely makes it through. When it's finally deemed safe for Willow and I to leave our room and I see the aftermath, I make my decision. I leave Willow with our neighbor and head to Command. Dad's assistant Jormand is there and he gives me a hug. I take the seat next to him and look around the room. At 13 years old, I am at least 25 years younger than the youngest person here. I take a deep breath, clear my throat, and brace myself for the onslaught. "I'm ready to take my place as president."

Command goes into uproar with people on both sides of the line; Coin clearly opposed, Jormand supporting me. After lots of argument, I am able to win them over. "I know I am young, but my parents told me of their plans for the District, and I have been out among the people and seen first hand what they need. And I won't be doing this alone." I look to Jormand. "I will have my Dad's most trusted assistant as my adviser." Jormand smiles and nods. I look back to the congregation. "I know I can do this, just give me a chance."

… It's been 5 years since I won over Command and took the Presidency away from Coin. And since then, a lot has changed. 13 has pulled through and are beginning to thrive again. People are still concerned by my youth but I have shown my mettle enough that they stopped voicing their concerns at least. Of course everything changed a year ago, when Katniss Everdeen won the 74th Hunger Games. That day, the Rebellion began. She doesn't know it, but I'm basing all my plans around her, my Mockingjay.

I hear a knock at my door through the open window. Jormand would freak if he knew I was out here, so I slide back in the window and shut it. '_Another day of planning the Rebellion commences_,' I think. '_I'm coming for you Snow, and this time, the Rebellion will win_.' And I kiss Willow on the forehead and leave with Jormand.

On the way down to Command I think about how much has changed in the last year. It all began with the Reaping of the 74th Hunger Games. In 13, we don't have to watch the Games but those of us in Command watch to see the other districts and how things have changed. So, naturally, we were watching when Prim Everdeen was drawn and Katniss Everdeen volunteered for her. When I saw it, I can't explain it but I just knew that this girl was going to change everything. So, I watched Katniss Everdeen. I watched her in the Games and watched as she gave sweet little Rue a proper tribute and as she went back for fellow tribute Peeta Mellark and as she took out the fated berries that saved their lives. In that last moment in the arena, I saw the rebellion in Katniss' eyes and knew that I had found my symbol. I had found the Mockingjay. Some of the other districts knew it too.

Thanks to some of our techs, we were hacked into the Capitol's mainframe and could see the things that were blocked from the other districts. So we saw the revolt in District 11 when Rue died. And I knew that Katniss Everdeen was the one thing we needed to make the Rebellion happen. So then came the planning, and the preparations. We instigated revolts in other districts and made contact with our alliances within the districts. We then began preparations for getting ahold of Katniss and Peeta. We have decided to get them at this year's Games, where they will both be mentors. We contacted our alliances within the mentors and began to formulate our plan. And apparently, we couldn't be getting them out any sooner. I talked with Haymitch the other day and Katniss is plotting her own uprising… The Victory Tour hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. _'Don't worry Katniss, I'll have you and Peeta free of them soon enough,_' I think. Plans are coming together nicely and everything is on schedule.

So now I'm headed down to Command to for a meeting and Jormand is filling me in on what has happened since yesterday. Apparently, yesterday was Katniss' photo shoot for her wedding dresses and it will be featured tonight on national news. I also know that with this year being the 75th Games, the plan for the Quarter Quell will be announced tonight as well. I'm not looking forward to it…

After a long day of preparations, it's time for the announcement. Katniss looks beautiful in her dresses, though I pity her for her situation. Being forced into a marriage created by the Capital would not be easy. Now its time for the Quarter Quell announcement and I brace myself for what's coming. But I never expected…

"This year's tributes will be reaped from their pool of victors," says Snow. Shocked silence follows and then Command is in an uproar. But I don't hear it because all thought has left my brain and I am numb. '_Katniss is going back into the arena… We never accounted for this. Katniss is going back into the arena…_' I think.

I become aware of someone shaking me and realized Jormand is yelling at me. "Ivy! Ivy, do you hear me?!" he says.

I snap to and get up. A stand at the table and yell over the din for everyone's attention. "Listen up, this changes things, but not much. We can still do this. We have to. Its even more imperative now. We're going to get them out of there. Now, who's with me?"

Everyone is staring at me and before anyone can even say anything, Willow comes bursting in. "Ivy! Is it true?! Tell me it isn't true, tell me Katniss isn't going back in!" she cries.

I stare at her, wondering how she knew and then remembered that we'd let the announcement show in the cafeteria for people to watch. "Yes, Willow" I say, "She's going back in." Willow starts to cry and I pull her to me, hugging her tightly. "Don't worry Wil, we're going to get her out." I look at my companions, speaking to them all now, "We're going to get them all out."

After the initial shock of the Quarter Quell announcement wore off, planning began in earnest. Our initial plan would no longer work, not if we had any hope of getting Katniss out alive… After I calmed Willow down and got her out of Command, my companions began to argue about how we were going to pull this off. After lots of arguing and swapping ideas, and hours later, we reach a decision. We decide to scrap the old plan and start over. The new plan won't be easy to pull off but nothing against the Capital ever is. First things first, though. We have to speed up production. Much easier said than done. There's so much to do and we have to be done sooner than originally planned. It won't be easy. But do we do it? Yes, because we must. So, in the days leading up to the Reaping, we worked double time to have everything ready in time for the Games. All the hard work paid off and on the day of the Reaping, we were wrapping everything up and getting ready to depart. I stand in Command going over all the preparations, pleased with how well everything has come together but dreading the days to come and hoping against hope that everything goes well…

I gather with my companions in Command while the rest of 13 gathers in the cafeteria. No one wants to miss the Reaping this year. As it starts, I watch as the tributes are chosen and my allies and friends are reaped into another Games. I hate myself for being glad about some of the tributes who are chosen, like Beetee. But I cannot deny that some of those chosen will make the Retrieval go more smoothly. When its District 12's turn, I watch Katniss and Haymitch get chosen and Peeta take Haymitch's place. I'm sure that all of the Capital is in sorrow of the bad luck of the star-crossed lovers from 12. I'm just hopeful that we can get them out before either of them dies. The night is filled with overseeing the preparations and making sure that everything is up to speed. Then I go check in on Willow. She is up and wandering around our apartment. I go to her and wrap her in a hug, stroking her hair. "Its going to be okay Wil, I promise. I'm going to get them out, I'm going to get her out."

She sighs, "I know Ivy, I'm just wish she didn't have to go back in."

I tilt her head up so her eyes meet mine, "I know, I do too. But we can't change what happened, so we shouldn't dwell on it. We need to focus on the future. We're getting her out. That's a promise Willow."

She looks into my eyes for a minute and then smiles. "You're right. I have faith in you Ivy, I know you can do it."

I let out a small laugh, "thanks sis. Now you should get some sleep." As I tuck her in, she asks me to sing her song. I can't not comply so I begin to sing the song that Mother named her for. I will never forget the shock I felt when Katniss sang the song to Rue when she was dying. I've wondered where my parents heard it ever since. Willow is asleep before I've finished and I kiss her forehead and curl up beside her and fall into a fitful sleep.

The next couple days are busy ones too. Between the preparations to depart and watching the Games stuff, the days passed quickly. Katniss and Peeta looked amazing, again, in their costumes for the chariot rides and the Capital people loved them. Still. Then their training began. I got a little worried when their scores came up at the end of training and both had 12s. But in the midst of all this, I had been been talking to Haymitch and knew that our allies were still on our side. The whole plan was riding on them. It all depended on if our allies in the arena could keep Peeta and Katniss alive…

Its finally time. The Rebellion is starting. Everyone had tried to talk me out of going. Willow was the only one who understood why I needed to be there, that I needed to be present when the rebellion began. In the end, I won. I board the hovercraft, looking back at Willow standing on the platform. I smile and wave and am relieved when she returns them. The door closes and I take my seat as we take off. We are arena-bound. I think of the arena that they made this year, having watched the tributes enter it this morning. We watched long enough to see the bloodbath and ensure our rebels survived before departure. I wonder how they are doing now, hoping that they manage until we get there, but the look of the arena has me a little worried.

I think about the arena and worry about the tributes the whole way there. I hope against hope that things go according to plan. It all depends on Beetee blowing a hole in the arena. As we come up on the arena, we see that its still intact and we begin to land, prepared to wait. Suddenly, an explosion rocks the area and I look up to see the forcefield has been blown out. We take off immediately and spot Katniss as soon as we arrive at the explosion's center. "There she is!" I call out. All the sudden, the hovercraft turns, moving away from Katniss and Beetee. I look up at Jormand, who shares my look of confusion, and look towards the pilot. What the hell is going on?

The hovercraft continues to move away from Katniss and I run to the front, yelling at the pilot, "What the hell are you doing?! Katniss is back there." The pilot ignores me and keeps flying. I grab for the controls, determined to turn the craft around. The pilot shoves me away and I hit the floor. I get up, livid now, and punch him across the face. My advanced hand-to-hand combat training pays off and I knock him unconscious. I shove him into the floor and take his chair, turning the craft around and racing back to Katniss. I scoop up Katniss and Beetee and then head off to get the others, determined not to fail the mission. I reach Finnick and grab him too, then I see Johanna and Peeta up ahead. As I move in their direction, a Capital craft appears scooping them up. I bank quickly, barely missing the other hovercraft, and speed away as they fire at us. The craft chases us and I race up into cloud cover and activate the invisibility shield. I bank as the other craft shoots past us and drop back lower to the ground. I scan the skies, searching for the other hovercraft and after a few minutes am relieved to see it head back.

We all fly in silence for a couple minutes, then my companions begin to cheer. I sit in the pilot's chair, silent. Jormand comes up and claps me on the back, "We did it Ivy! We got her out of there!"

I look up at him, staring at him for a second, before I jump to my feet. "No!" I shout. "We didn't do it, we failed!"

The craft goes quiet again and Jormand looks at me, concerned. "But she's right there Ivy, we got her."

I glare at him, then at all of them. "We were supposed to get ALL of them, and we didn't. We failed the mission. Johanna and Peeta are now in the hands of the Capital and will be subject to horrific torture and you all are cheering?! You think we succeeded?! No! We didn't. We failed, we horribly failed!" Angry, I lash out at the pilot, still unconscious on the floor, kicking him in the stomach. I then go to the medicine cabinet and dose the pilot to keep him under until we get home. I stand and turn to look back at my companions who have enough sense to look ashamed. I walk over to where Katniss is laying, now unconscious, and whisper, "I'm so sorry Katniss. I failed you. I failed…" Tears slide silently down my face as I try to contain my anger and sorrow. I go back to the pilot's chair, not looking at anyone and fly us home.

When we arrive, Willow comes racing down to meet us and arrives as we're bringing Katniss off the craft. She squeals and hugs me, "You did it Ivy! You got her!"

I pull away and look at her, knowing my face looks sad. Her smile fades. "Yes Willow, we got her. But we didn't get all of them."

Willow looks around and quickly realizes who is missing. "Where's Peeta?!"

I grab her and wrap her in a hug, "We didn't get to him in time." I can here the tears in my voice as I speak, and Willow begins to cry. I comfort her as best as I can as some of the security team take the unconscious pilot off the craft. I look at them, "Take him to a cell, but don't do anything until I get there."

Willow looks up at the pilot and then at me. "What happened Ivy?"

Anger lights my eyes, "That's what I'm going to find out." I look at her, and my expression softens. "Go with the tributes to the hospital Willow and make sure that they are well taken care of. Can you do that for me?"

A determined look crosses her face, "Of course I can. I'll take care of it Ivy, I promise." She turns and leaves and I watch her as she goes, then turn away and head to the containment cells. As I get down there, I'm informed that the pilot has just woken. I walk into his cell and he looks up, meeting my eyes and shock crosses his face, then fear. He quickly drops his gaze to the floor. I pull up a chair and sit in front of him, just staring at him.

After a few minutes, he stammers, "I'm so sorry My Lady."

I continue to stare at him for a few more seconds. Then, "Why?"

He looks up at me, looking scared. "I.. I don't know President Ivy."

I look at him flatly, "Really, because you seemed like you were on a mission." I stare at him for a second. "Your idea?"

"Yes My Lady," he replies, his eyes on the ground.

"See, I don't believe you. Who did it? Who put you up to this?"

"I can't My Lady, I'm sorry."

I stare at him for a minute, and then it dawns on me. I jump to my feet and he looks at me. Seeing my face, I see fear light his expression. "It was her wasn't it? It was! I know it! She did this! Didn't she?!"

"No My Lady! No!"

"Shut up! Don't deny it, I know better. How much did she give you, what did she promise you?"

He stares at the floor for a minute before whispering, "She promised me my pick of the districts. When the war is over, I can choose which district I want to leave in."

I stare at him, shocked. "What? Why would you… You think that… That's not what I have planned."

He looks up at me. "It's not My Lady?"

"No, of course not. When the war is over, there won't be districts any more, not officially anyway. People will be free to travel between the districts as they please and live in any of them at their choosing."

He looks at me, shocked. "You mean it My Lady?"

She look at him evenly, "Of course I do. Any other way and we would barely be better off than we already are."

He looks at me, searching my face. He must see the truth there because then he throws himself to his knees at my feet, "Forgive me Lady, I beg you, I was deeply wrong about you."

"Indeed you were. You repent then?"

"Yes My Lady!"

"Then give me what I need. Say it."

"Coin. It was Coin. She sabotaged your mission."


End file.
